Abstract
Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) neochordae are predominantly used for mitral
valve repair (MVr), while the frequency of their employment in tricuspid valve surgery
is not well assessed. We have performed a review of the available literature to verify
incidence, indications, techniques, and outcomes of the use of artificial neochordae
in a variety of tricuspid valve pathologies. We found a total of 57 articles reporting
the use of ePTFE sutures in patients in whom tricuspid valve repair (TVr) was performed.
From such articles, adequate information on the basic disease, surgical techniques,
and outcomes could be obtained in 45 patients in whom the indication to the use of
neochordae was posttraumatic tricuspid regurgitation (n = 24), infective endocarditis (n = 8), congenital valvular disease (n = 6), valve injury during cardiac neoplasm excision (n = 3) or following repeated endomyocardial biopsies after heart transplantation (n = 3), and tricuspid valve prolapse (n = 1). Implant techniques generally replicated those currently employed for MVr using
artificial neochordae. There were no reported hospital deaths with stability of repair
in most cases at follow-up controls. TVr using ePTFE neochordae has been reported
so far in a limited number of patients. Nevertheless, it appears a feasible and reproducible
technique to be added routinely to the surgical armamentarium during TVr.
Keywords
tricuspid valve repair - artificial neochordae - expanded polytetrafluoroethylene
